In this episode, we reflect on the fifth Beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Kimberly Lockinour explores what mercy truly means and why it rests at the heart of our faith. The mercy we receive from God is not meant to stop with us. It is meant to flow through us into the lives of others.

Drawing from Scripture, including the parable of the unforgiving servant, this conversation invites listeners to consider how they respond to those who have caused hurt. Mercy is more than a feeling. It is a choice to forgive, to release resentment, and to mirror the grace we have already been given.

This episode encourages you to examine your own heart and embrace compassion as a daily practice, allowing mercy to shape your spiritual walk and your relationships.

Takeaways:

1. The content of Living the Selah Life is focused on spiritual encouragement and personal reflection.
2. It is crucial to seek mercy from God, as we are called to extend mercy to others.
3. Being merciful involves acting with compassion for those who are in need or have wronged us.
4. Jesus teaches that the measure of mercy we give reflects our understanding of the mercy we have received.

The content shared on Living the Selah Life is for spiritual encouragement, personal reflection, and informational purposes only.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat or replace medical, psychological or professional advice of any kind.

Please consult a licensed healthcare provider or qualified professional for any physical, mental or emotional health concerns.

The views expressed are those of the host, Kimberly Lockanore, and are based on personal experience and Biblical insight, not clinical or professional training.

Welcome back to Living the Selah Life, a podcast that invites you to slow down, breathe and reconnect with the presence of God.

I'm your host, Kim, and this space is for anyone longing to become more familiar with his presence.

Each episode is an intentional pause, a moment to reflect, realign and remember that God meets us when we create space for Him.

So take a breath.

You're right on time.

Let's live the Selah life together.

Welcome back, my friends, to Living the Selah Life.

In our last episode, we explored the fourth Beatitude.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

We discover that God blesses those who desperately want him and his righteousness, and he promises to satisfy that hunger completely.

Today we're looking at the fifth Beatitude.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This beatitude reveals a principle that runs throughout Scripture.

We receive mercy from God and then extend that mercy to others.

We'll discover what it means to be merciful, why showing mercy is blessed, and how the mercy we give is connected to the mercy that we receive.

We will call this week's main teaching the Merciful Grace Received.

Grace given Matthew 5:7 again says, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This beatitude flows from the first four when you're poor in spirit, you recognize that you need mercy.

When you mourn over sin, you cry out for mercy.

When you're meek, you receive mercy humbly.

And when you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you discover that righteousness comes through mercy, God crediting you with Christ's righteousness rather than giving you what you deserve.

Having received mercy from God, you're now equipped to show mercy to others.

You extend to others what God has extended to you.

You forgive because you've been forgiven, and you show compassion because God has shown compassion to you.

Jesus promise is remarkable.

They shall obtain mercy.

Those who show mercy will receive mercy.

And this doesn't mean we earn God's mercy by being merciful to others.

Rather, showing mercy demonstrates that we've genuinely received God's mercy.

Those who have experienced mercy by product become merciful people.

The Greek word for mercy Here is Liamon Eliamon, and I'll spell it.

It's E L E E M O N. And this word describes someone who is full of mercy, compassionate, ready to show pity and help those in need.

It comes from the root word elios, which is E L E O S, which means mercy, compassion or pity.

In Greek culture, elios describe the emotion you feel when you see someone suffering, the compassion that moves you to help.

It's not just that you're feeling sorry for someone, it's compassion that leads to action.

The Bible uses mercy language in two different ways.

First, mercy describes God's compassion towards sinners who deserve judgment.

We've rebelled against him, violated his laws and deserve his wrath.

Yet he shows mercy, withholding the punishment we deserve and offering forgiveness that we don't deserve.

Second, mercy describes compassion shown to those who are suffering, struggling or in need.

And this includes forgiving those who wrong us, helping those who are hurting, showing patience with those who fail, and extending grace to those who don't deserve it.

Being merciful means you feel compassion for others.

Struggle, and you act on that compassion.

The key element here is acting on that compassion.

You see others weaknesses or failures, and instead of condemning them, you extend grace.

So what is mercy?

Mercy is withholding punishment that someone deserves and giving help that they don't deserve.

In a nutshell, mercy sees the worst and responds with compassion rather than condemnation.

Mercy is closely related to grace and forgiveness, but has its own emphasis.

Grace gives good things to people who don't deserve them.

Mercy withholds bad things from people who do deserve them.

Forgiveness releases someone from a debt they owe.

Mercy goes beyond forgiveness to show compassion and help to the person who wronged you.

All three work together in how God relates to us.

He shows us grace by giving us salvation.

That's one area of grace, by the way, we don't deserve.

He shows us mercy by withholding the judgment we do deserve.

And he forgives our sins and removes our guilt.

And his mercy continues, helping us when we fail, being patient when we're slow to learn, and showing compassion when we struggle.

Scripture teaches that mercy operates in a cycle.

God shows us mercy, we receive his mercy.

We extend that mercy to others.

As we show mercy to others, we continue to experience God's mercy in our own lives.

Ephesians 4:32 says, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.

Even as God in Christ forgave you, the pattern is clear.

God forgave you, therefore you forgive others.

Matthew 6:14 15 presents the principle directly for if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Your willingness to forgive others is connected to experiencing God's forgiveness yourself.

And this doesn't mean, again, we have to earn God's mercy by being merciful to others.

It means that receiving mercy and showing mercy are inseparable.

If you've genuinely received God's mercy, you will show mercy to others.

If you refuse to show mercy to others, it reveals that you haven't fully received God's mercy.

Jesus demonstrated perfect mercy throughout his earthly ministry.

He showed compassion to people everyone else rejected.

Matthew 9:36 says, but when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep.

Having no shepherd, Jesus felt deep compassion for suffering.

His mercy moved him to action, teaching them, healing them and feeding them.

Jesus showed mercy to the woman caught in adultery.

The religious leaders were ready to stone her according to the law.

They had the right to do so.

But Jesus didn't condemn her.

He forgave her and told her to go and sin no more and notice the order.

He forgave her and then said, go, sin no more.

He didn't make her stand there and confess all of her sins out loud in front of everybody, repents of every wrong she's done, and then have her be free.

No, he forgave her and then said, go and sin no more.

Jesus showed mercy to Peter after Peter denied him three times.

He could have rejected Peter or removed him from ministry.

Instead, Jesus restored Peter and sent him to feed his sheep.

Jesus showed mercy to the thief on the cross.

This criminal had no time to clean up his life, no opportunity to prove his faith through good works.

He simply cried out for mercy.

Jesus promised him paradise that very day.

Jesus's entire mission was an act of mercy.

Romans chapter 5, verses 8 says, But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were still sinners, still rebellious, still guilty, still deserving judgment, Christ died for us.

That's mercy.

Some people worry that mercy and justice are opposites, that showing mercy means ignoring justice.

But Scripture presents mercy and justice as partners, not enemies.

Micah chapter 6, verses 8 says, he has shown you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you?

But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God, justice and mercy are both required.

Mercy doesn't ignore sin or pretend wrong hasn't happened.

That's not what we're doing.

Mercy acknowledges the wrong and chooses to forgive anyway.

It recognizes what someone deserves and chooses to give them grace instead.

Mercy also doesn't eliminate consequences.

God forgives us of our sins, but sometimes consequences remain.

The key is that mercy's motivation is restoration, not revenge.

Justice seeks appropriate consequences.

Mercy seeks redemption.

Healing Both can operate together when mercy determines the spirit in which justice is administered.

Hello nations.

Both can operate together when mercy determines the spirit in which justice is administered.

Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

And when he began to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents.

But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.

The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.

Then the master of the servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

But the servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, pay me what you owe.

So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.

And he would not but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellow servants saw what he had done, they were very grieved and came and told their masters all that had been done.

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, you wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?

And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he could pay all that was due to him.

So my Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

This parable is Jesus clearest teaching on mercy and forgiveness.

It illustrates the principle of the fifth Beatitude perfectly.

Those who have received mercy must show mercy to others.

A king decided to settle accounts with his servants, one servant owed 10,000 talents.

One talent was worth about 20 years.

Wages for labor.

10,000 talents represented millions of dollars in today's currency.

A debt that could never be repaid.

The servant had no way to pay.

The king ordered that he be sold along with his wife, his kids and everything that he owned.

And even this wouldn't come close to paying the debt.

The servant fell down before the king and begged, master, have patience with me and I'll pay you.

This was an impossible promise.

And the master knew that he could never pay such a debt.

The king's response was extraordinary.

He was moved with compassion.

I will do another teaching on here.

But the Lord revealed to me about Jesus being moved with compassion.

But that's another day.

He didn't just give the servant more time to pay, he didn't reduce the debt.

He completely forgave it.

He released the servant and canceled the entire debt.

And this represents God's mercy toward us.

We owe God a debt that we could never pay.

We deserve judgment.

Yet when we cry out for mercy, God completely forgives.

Not part of the debt, all of it.

And this goes way well beyond salvation.

One of the prayers that changed my life, I prayed behind a minister and he said, lord, I pray that your people would learn your grace beyond salvation.

And that praying that to God has literally changed my life.

Such a simple prayer, but I urge you to.

We need his mercy and we need his grace, and he freely gives it.

That same servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii.

A denarius was a day's wage.

A hundred denarii represented about three months salary.

Like a real debt, but tiny compared to the enormous debt that he was just forgiven.

The first servant grabbed the other servant by the throat and demand demanded payment.

His fellow servant fell down and begged, just as the previous servant did.

Who's asking for the money Using the exact same words, have patience with me and I will pay you.

The first servant refused to show mercy.

He had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

This is the behavior that Jesus condemns.

We've been forgiven an enormous debt.

Then we refuse to forgive others for the wrongs that they've done to us.

And some of them are so small we demand payment for minor offenses when we've been released, for a debt that we could never pay.

When the king heard what happened, he was furious.

He called the servant back and confronted him.

You wicked servant, I forgave you of everything.

Should you not have had compassion on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you.

The King's anger was very much so justified.

The servant who had received such extraordinary mercy showed no mercy whatsoever to others.

And the King then delivered him to the torturers until he showed should pay all that was due, which would be never, since the debt was unpayable.

Jesus concluded the parable with these sobering words, so my Heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother his trespasses.

And this is strong language, Jesus is saying that refusal to forgive others indicates God.

You haven't truly received God's forgiveness.

If you've genuinely experienced God's mercy, you will show mercy to others.

The phrase from the heart Jesus isn't talking about superficial forgiveness or words without genuine release.

He's talking about heart level forgiveness.

Truly releasing others from their debts against you, genuinely letting go of bitterness and resentment.

This parable applies directly to our lives even today, which I'm sure you hear that already when you see the comparison clearly.

Mercy flows naturally.

How can you refuse to forgive and offer mercy to someone when God has freely forgiven and offered mercy to you?

Selah, we will move on to this week's pause prompts.

And pause prompts are just a chance to take inventory of where we are so that we will know where we're going or where we need to be.

No condemnation or judgment ever.

We don't do that over here.

Simple inventory.

Here we go.

Who in your life do you need to show mercy to?

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Someone whose failures you've been judging?

Someone who is suffering that you've been ignoring?

Where are you withholding mercy?

Keeping records of wrongs?

Judging others harshly, or showing indifference to others suffering?

Are there boundaries you need to set while still maintaining a merciful heart?

Boundaries are good, y'.

All.

Are there boundaries you need to set while still maintaining a merciful heart?

How would your relationship change if you extend it to others?

The same mercy God has extended to you?

How aware are you of the mercy God has shown you?

Do you regularly remember how much you've been forgiven?

Or have you forgotten your desperate need for God's mercy?

Remember, being merciful is the Holy Spirit producing compassion in us that moves us to forgive, to help show grace and to show mercy to others as God has shown grace, mercy and forgiveness to us.

All right, my friends, we will go on to our Selah moment and prayer.

This is our opportunity to remember the mercy we've received and to commit to showing mercy to others.

Begin by sitting comfortably and Taking several slow, deep breaths, picture yourself as the servant in the parable, standing before the king with an unpayable debt.

You have nothing to offer.

You can only beg for mercy.

Reflect on the enormous debt God has forgiven you.

Recognize that you deserve judgment, but receive mercy instead, and let gratitude for his compassion fill your heart.

Bring to mind people who may have wronged you, people whose failures you've judged, people you've refused to forgive.

See the comparison.

Their small debt to you compared to the enormous debt God forgave you, or even their big debt to you.

Maybe it is a big debt, but compare that to the enormous debt that God forgave you.

One by one, release these people.

Forgive their debts.

Let go of any bitterness and resentment.

Choose to extend the same mercy to them that God has extended to you.

Let us pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before you as people who have received extraordinary mercy.

We owed you a debt we could never pay.

Thank you, Jesus, who paid the debt that that we owed.

Thank you that you bore our sins on the cross and that you took the punishment that we deserve, that you satisfied justice so that we could receive mercy.

Thank you for forgiving completely.

Not just part of our debt, but all of it.

Holy Spirit, keep us aware of how much we been forgiving past and present.

Don't let us forget the enormous mercy we've received in addition to salvation.

Forgive us for being unmerciful.

Forgive us for refusing to forgive others when we've been forgiven so much.

Forgive us for demanding payment of debts when our enormous debt debt has been canceled.

Forgive us for keeping records of wrongs when God has erased all of our offenses.

Help us to release any person that we are holding as a debt.

Help us genuinely forgive from the heart.

And we ask that you take away our bitterness or resentment or desire for revenge and replace these things.

Things with compassion, grace and mercy.

Make us a merciful people when others wrong us.

Help us respond with forgiveness.

When others fail, help us respond with restoration.

When others struggle, help us respond with patience.

And when others suffer, help us respond with compassion.

Keep us in the cycle of mercy.

As we've received mercy from you, help us show mercy to others.

And as we show mercy to others, keep our hearts open to continue receiving your mercy.

Help us remember the comparison.

Any wrong done to us is tiny compared to to our sin against you.

Any hurt we experience is minor compared to how we've offended you.

And any debt owed to us is microscopic compared to what you've forgiven us.

Use our mercy to demonstrate your mercy when people see us forgiving those who wrong us.

Let them see evidence of of your forgiveness.

Thank you for the promise that the merciful will obtain mercy.

Thank you that as we show mercy, we continue to experience your mercy in our lives.

Holy Spirit, make us like Jesus, full of compassion, quick to forgive, patient with failures, showing grace to the undisputed deserving.

Let mercy characterize our relationships, our responses and our lives.

It is in Jesus name that we pray who showed us perfect mercy.

And it is so let's lean into our Selah moment.

That is it for today.

Thank you for listening to Living the Selah life.

If this moment stirred something in your spirit, share it with someone who needs to be reminded to pause and to listen.

You can connect with me on Instagram, my Facebook group, not a Facebook page.

I don't man that page.

But I have a Facebook group or YouTube at Living the Selah Life.

Or email me your story to Living the Selah Life at at Proton Me.

That's Living the Selah life at P R O T O N Me.

Until next time.

Remember that God is speaking.

He wants to guide you and direct you and give you his wisdom for your life.

Create space to listen.

Remember the mercy you've received and extend that mercy to others.

May you go from this place rested, carrying the awareness that that his presence is always near.

May you be rooted in the unshakable word of God, the Logos that ground you and the rhema that guides you.

May you keep rising into the life he designed for you, into purpose, into peace, into the fullness of his calling.

May your life become a living Selah, an intentional pause that reveals his presence in Jesus name.

And it is so Selah.